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Organic residue analysis (ORA) of pott ery is a frequently used and important part of archaeological research today. It can provide information about the diet or the use of pott ery and many other aspects of daily lives of archaeological populations, which would otherwise be lost. The chemical compounds that are most often preserved in ceramics and are therefore very suitable for this type of analysis are lipids (e.g. fatt y acids, triglycerides, alcohols, alkanes, wax esters, ketones). There are several methods of extracting lipids from ceramics, depending on what we want to fi nd out; those most commonly used are direct acid extraction and solvent extraction. After the extraction, analyses are performed by gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) and, when possible, 13C isotope analysis from palmitic and stearic acid (GC-C-IRMS). This paper briefl y describes the mentioned methods, the chemical background, and the possibilities and examples of the already conducted research including ORA. Organic residue analysis begins with sampling, where it is very important to avoid contamination; therefore, a proposal is made for the procedure of sampling pott ery sherds for ORA, with the emphasis on adequate sample packaging (aluminium foil). It is also important to note that the researcher should be provided with as much contextual information as possible. Also, a proposal for a sampling form for ORA is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of the fi rst archaeological excavations conducted in the south-eastern suburb of ancient Pharos, the present-day town of Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, within the framework of the CSF AdriaCos project (in 2021), that brought to light new data on topography, stratigraphy, and artefacts that helps understand the organization of the extramural space bordering with the Stari Grad Plain. The structures from two phases, uncovered in one of the trenches (10A-W) and associated with the Greek and late antiquity periods, and the discovery of a Greek grave, provide insight into the changes in the use of this extra-urban space, while artefacts are indicative of the culinary habits and trade contacts within each of the represented periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rescue excavations in the location of the future Faculty of Law in the former Barracks area of the Lower Town in Osijek revealed numerous features from antiquity with portable fi nds, even though the archaeological layers were partially devastated in places due to recent interventions. The excavated features include pits, post holes, canals, wells, and furnaces. The fi ll layer of the canal SU 80/81 contained various Roman fi nds made of pott ery, brick, bone, glass, and bronze, with numerous animal bones. On the basis of the fi nds, the canal has been preliminarily dated to the period between the end of the 1st and the beginning of the 2nd century AD. A fi nd that stands out is a fragment of a small amphora with an incised inscription. The upper part of the vessel has been preserved: the neck with the handles and the upper part of the body where there are incised lett ers. Incised (graff ito) inscriptions have been documented on other amphora fi nds from southern Pannonia. The content of the inscriptions refers to the numerical indications of the weight or capacity of the vessel, to the content of the vessel, or to personal names. This last category can be associated with the Osijek example found in the fi ll layers of the canal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological rescue excavations at the Lozan – Lendava site near Špišić Bukovica, carried out in the fall of 2019, uncovered parts of infrastructure of a Late La Tène settlement. The site used to be known as a late medieval lowland hillfort, but the excavations have not confirmed this. The infrastructure of the Late La Tène settlement was represented by the remains of buried structures containing fragments of wheel-thrown pottery, but there were also particular recognizable handmade shapes. The results of the excavations at the Lozan settlement agree with the known facts about the contemporary settlements around Virovitica and Koprivnica, indicating that the Drava Valley was intensively inhabited during the Late La Tène period, i.e. at the end of the 2nd and in the 1st century BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020 Kantharos, a private archaeological company from Hvar, conducted a small rescue excavation in Stari Grad on Hvar, on the site of the so-called Kuća Škoko. The investigated location is situated around 50 meters southwest of Remete vrt site, as well as several meters south of the documented portion of the southern fortification of the Greek city of Pharos. The post-excavation analysis of the finds was conducted in cooperation with the Institute of Archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The territory of the Lovas Municipality, located in Western Syrmia, has been known in archaeological circles since the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, but became the focal point of the archaeological public only in 1939, when the valuable Middle Bronze Age hoard of gold and bronze finds was discovered near the village Lovas. Until recently, there was no large-scale archaeological research, other than the 1970 and 1972 field surveys. Knowledge of archaeological material from the area of the Municipality of Lovas has significantly expanded in the last 15 years through systematic field surveys and test excavations conducted separately by the Institute of Archeology in Zagreb, Vukovar City Museum and the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb. In 2017, the latter institution started a perennial project in the area of the Municipality of Lovas, which includes a systematic field survey, geophysical research and test trench excavations. The research itself is a continuation of the initial research season from 2011. This paper presents the results of the excavations conducted in 2011 and 2017 at the positions Kalvarija, Staro Groblje and Orlinac, all of which are protected cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vorganjska peć is an important prehistoric cave site located on the slope of Organ hill above Batomalj near Baška on the island of Krk. The research of this site, as well as other cave sites on Kvarner islands, was initiated by Vladimir Mirosavljević in the mid-twentieth century. As the result of his research, Vorganjska peć, alongside Jami na Sredi on the island of Cres and Vela špilja on the island of Lošinj, became a significant source of data about the Neolithic of the Kvarner region and thereby an essential part of discussions about this period on the eastern Adriatic coast. Since this research was never fully published, the site was re-excavated in order to review previously obtained data about the cave usage in prehistory. The research results provided insight into the stratigraphic sequence of intact prehistoric archaeological deposits with Early and Middle Neolithic finds. The analysis of stratification and artefacts contributes to our knowledge of complex mechanisms of neolithisation of the eastern Adriatic and confirms the undeniable informative and interpretative significance of the site in the studies of the northern Adriatic Neolithic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research and educational project Discovering the Old Dubrovnik Cathedrals was launched in 2015. Its activities were primarily focused on the expert and scientific study of movable monuments and archaeological finds originating from the site under the Baroque Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and in the nearby square of Bunićeva Poljana in Dubrovnik. All the materials were the results of the archaeological excavations of the site undertaken after the earthquake of 1979; in the long subsequent period of twenty-seven years, they had been largely unstudied and unpublished. In the first phase of the project (2015–2017), primarily because of the quantity of materials and the poor condition in which they were found, the activities focused on their rescue and sorting before engaging in any expert studies. The primary activity was the study of stone monuments and fragments of glass, while other materials (fragments of wall paintings and metal) were unified and documented, or just catalogued and properly stored (pottery fragments). In the second phase of the project (2018–2020), pottery and ceramics and fragments of wall paintings were studied in more detail. The preliminary analysis resulted in valuable new insights: on one hand, it provided a whole new chronology of habitation for the part of the historic center of Dubrovnik that developed along today’s port; on the other, it painted a more comprehensive picture of the furnishing and building phases of „the old Dubrovnik cathedrals“, the elaborate complex explored under the Baroque cathedral and in the square of Bunićeva Poljana. Along with the results of studying pottery and fragments of wall paintings, there are also the preliminary results of of the analysis of stone monuments, with a special emphasis on the earliest layer from late antiquity (early Christianity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of the south lane of the southern bypass of the city of Osijek in 2013 prompted the rescue archaeological excavations of the site of Hermanov Vinograd (Herman’s vineyard), since the route ran across its northwest edge. The excavations, covering the largest area of the site yet (2.670 m²), found numerous archaeological structures of burials and layers pointing to architectural complexes of residential and defensive character. The examination of the stratigraphy identified four construction phases of the site, which were dated after the results of the radiocarbon analysis of the age of bone remains from grave 2. Numerous mobile archaeological materials in the form of potsherds, house daub, pottery, bone and stone objects, also indicate a site with the character of a settlement of the Sopot cultural sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The additional rescue archaeological excavations of the site AN 7A Jagodnjak - Napuštene njive in Baranya, on the route of the Osijek - Beli Manastir highway, uncovered the southern edge of a Middle Bronze Age settlement which was explored in 2015. The south part of the explored area contained structures belonging to the Copper Age Lasinja culture. Research showed that the Middle Bronze Age settlement stretched for three hundred meters to the south of the central part of the settlement fortified by a ditch. The gentle rise in the southern part of the site contained traces of large pits where the fills included characteristic ceramic fragments of the Lasinja culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Bronze Age settlement on the site of Babine Grede in Dolina stands on two greda (elevated positions) stretching along the River Sava in the east-west direction. The settlement is known from before on the basis of numerous collected surface finds of pottery fragments, and it was confirmed by a geomagnetic survey in 2014. Trench 1, in the eastern part of the western elevation, was excavated in 2015 and 2016. Archaeological research undertaken on the site of Babine Grede - Tukovi in 2018 was intended to determine the exact dating of the settlement standing on the eastern elevation. The discovered bronze and ceramic objects show that the settlement on the position of the eastern elevation was partly contemporaneous with the part of the settlement included in the excavations of trench 1 in the western part of the elevation, during Ha A2, that is, in the first half of the 11th century BC. Trench 2 contained even younger settlement horizons than the ones identified in trench 1. The results of the research from 2018 have changed the assumptions about the horizontal settlement stratigraphy in Dolina, that is, about how the Late Bronze Age settlement spread from east to west, where the settlement is the closest to the cemetery under the tumuli at the position of Glavičice. The research has proven that the settlement spread towards the east, too, on the higher places which were not directly exposed to sudden changes in the water level of the Sava. In future years, research will focus on locating the flat cemetery and considering the horizontal stratigraphy of the Late Bronze Age settlement on the site of Babine Grede. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The additional rescue archaeological excavations of the AN 3 Petrijevci - Španice site, on the route of the D34 state road bypassing Petrijevci, uncovered a prehistoric settlement standing on a gentle elevation near the former course of the River Karašica. The western part of the site contained pits and post-holes with Urnfield culture ceramic fragments; in fact, the excavations comprised the south-western edge of the settlement. Numerous ditches were recorded along the entire length of the excavated area, probably reflecting the land divisions of the time, and a part was dug for the railway in the early 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eastern Slavonia, western Bačka, and western Syrmia in the Early Iron Age were inhabited by communities associated with the material culture of the Dalj group. The continuity of life and burials on the same sites can be followed from the Late Bronze Age. Recent excavations at Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age cemeteries in Sotin have identified 119 graves. These are cremation graves; in most of them, the cremated remains of the dead and the remains of costume and personal items were placed in urns and covered with a bowl serving as lid. The Early Iron Age graves included ceramic sets of pots, cups, kantharoi, and bowls, containing food and drinks as departing gifts within the funerary rite. Interdisciplinary analyses of contexts, finds, and samples, have led to more detailed interpretations of funerary rites, identities, and the status of the dead, by analysing specific graves. The definite context linking the pottery finds and the jewellery has resulted from the detailed dating of the inventory in the Danube Basin from the Early Iron Age, considered within the network of communications and influences that can be seen from the objects and funerary rites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the research project of the Croatian Science Foundation Iron Age female identities in the southern part of the Carpathian Basin (FEMINE / IP-06-2016-1749), the Institute of Archaeology during the November 2017 carried out a trial archaeological excavation of Sotin - Zmajevac site (Fig. 1). Investigations were conducted to reveal the position of the cemetery from the Late Iron Age (La Tene culture), since three cremation burials were found at the beginning of the 20th century at Zmajevac which were dated to the Late La Tene (LT D1), respectively at the beginning of the 1st c. BC (Majnarić-Pandžić 1970; 1972/1973; Božič 1981; Guštin 1984; Ilkić 1999). Finds of weaponry belong to male burials, while female burials contained characteristic costume and jewellery items (Fig. 2). In burials ceramic and bronze vessels were also revealed indicating the existence of supra-regional distribution networks (Majnarić-Pandžić 1996; Dizdar, Radman-Livaja 2004; 2015). The mentioned burials from Sotin, although discovered more than a hundred years ago, are still the only known Late La Tene female burials in the eastern part of Croatia until today (Majnarić-Pandžić 1972/1973; Božič 1981: Guštin 1984). In the view of exceptional finds from Zmajevac, the existence of Late La Tene site was confirmed by results of field surveys and in the rescue excavation carried out in 2015 (Ložnjak Dizdar et al. 2016). The aim of the research was the discovery of female burials with characteristic finds that would testify about the different aspects of female social identities during the Late La Tene (i.e. Todorović 1972). During the research, traces of the Late La Tene (Figs. 3-5) and Late Medieval settlements (Figs. 6-8) were discovered, spreading along the edge of the loess plateau above the Danube. A large number of ceramic spindle whorls point to textile production at the site and testify to the different aspects of female social identities and everyday activities that female members of population performed in households during the Late Iron Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Batina (Kiskőszeg) is one of the most significant sites in the southern Carpathian Basin from the end of the Late Bronze Age and the beginning of the Early Iron Age. For more than a century, Batina has been the source of many exceptional finds, now stored in the collections of several European museums, which are considered to originate from destroyed funerary complexes and which helped define the chronology of the development of the Dalj Group. A systematic field survey was done to determine the location of the Dalj Group cemetery in Batina. Its results indicated that the cemetery could have been located in Sredno, a site south of the contemporary settlement on Gradac. This was followed by archaeological excavations in Sredno, which revealed many cremation graves of the Dalj Group from the Late Bronze Age and the beginning of the Early Iron Age. The graves contained ceramic, metal and glass finds, confirming the earlier hypotheses about the great significance of Batina as an important southern Pannonian centre from the end of the 2nd millennium BC and the first centuries of the 1st millennium BC, which stood on an important communication line along the Danube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the autumn of 2016 continued archaeological research of trench 1 on multilayer Late Bronze Age settlement Babine Grede in Dolina. Three horizons of the settlement were discovered in excavation 2015, while in the research undertaken in 2016 nine horizons of settlement was recognized. Archaeological excavations documented the collapse over the house, complete floor plan of a house destroyed by fire, numerous burials for posts, fireplaces and pits and semiundergrounded pit. Archaeological finds have been found in greater quantities - pottery, house daub of the house construction, then stone objects, animal bones and a few bronze items. According to the collected findings, explored part of settlement can be dated to the 11th century BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tijekom listopada 2015. započeta su sustavna arheološka istraživanja na lokalitetu Bunje na otoku Braču. Pronađeni nalazi i arhitektura datiraju od vremena kasnog helenizma pa sve do kasne antike. Dobivenom snimkom arhitekture utvrđeno je kako svi zidovi, odnosno objekti, imaju istu orijentaciju što upućuje na planiranu i dobro organiziranu izgradnju. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U jesen 2015. godine započela su istraživanja kasnobrončanodobnoga naselja na položaju Babine grede u Dolini. U sondi 1 dokumentirana su tri horizonta naseljavanja s ostacima podnica kuća uz čije se rubove nalaze ukopi rupa za stupove. Između podnica kuća pronađene su jame, dok su posebno brojna ognjišta koja često imaju supstrukciju od keramičkih ulomaka. U istraživanjima je otkrivena brojna pokretna građa, pri čemu su najbrojniji ulomci keramičkih posuda i kućnoga lijepa, zatim slijede nalazi kostiju, žrvnjeva, kamenih alata, brončanih predmeta (dlijeto, igla) te ostaci brončane zgure. Prema preliminarnim rezultatima i pokretnoj građi, naselje se datira u Ha A2 i Ha B1 stupanj, odnosno u 11. i 10. st. pr. Kr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U okviru istraživanja tehnologije proizvodnje i uporabe keramičkih posuda u pretpovijesti od 2012. godine sustavno se provode eksperimentalna istraživanja. Na temelju makroskopske analize keramičkih ulomaka i arheometrijskih analiza koje su napravljene na većem broju uzoraka provedena je serija eksperimenata sa svrhom preciznijeg definiranja vrste i količine primjesa koje su dodavane u glinoviti materijal. Tema istraživanja je tehnologija proizvodnje keramičkih posuda iz brončanog doba. U tu svrhu izrađeno je više od stotinu glinenih pločica od različitih vrsta glinovitog materijala i različite količine i vrste primjesa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virje, a site in the Podravina region, with its two positions - Volarski breg and Sušine - has been known as an archaeological site for several decades. Salvage excavations were carried out there between 2008 and 2014. The several-year-long excavations by the Institute of Archaeology yielded the remains of a smelting workshop, in addition to the habitation remains from the Early and High Middle Ages and Late Antiquity, while the 2010 excavations, carried out by the Koprivnica Municipal Museum, revealed traces of a settlement from the Early and Late Iron Ages. Based on the results of a geophysical research carried out in spring 2014 at Sušine, a gentle elevation next to the Čivičevac canal, a position was selected for subsequent salvage archaeological excavations, which were carried out in November the same year. The trench, carefully positioned at the place of a supposed structure, yielded valuable results: a large sunken structure of rectangular plan. Its northern part had accommodated a loom, with in situ remains consisting of around thirty completely preserved clay weights. After the weights had been removed, a greyish feature was observed by the edge of the structure, presumably the remains of a decayed straight wooden beam that formed part of the loom. The function of the two iron objects found in the eastern and western parts of the trench cannot be ascertained. Differences in the shape and mass of the weights, in addition to their position in the excavated context, as well as the usewear traces on some weights, inspired the authors to adopt an experimental approach in the interpretation of the appearance of the loom. Based on the conducted experiments, conclusions are put forward regarding the possible way the weights and loom were used, the type and thickness of the thread and the appearance of the weaving and the fabric. The conclusion about the date in which the loom was used is based on the collected pottery fragments from the structure, which belong to the La Tène period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb, in collaboration with the Poreč Regional Museum, carried out the archaeological investigations within the architectural complex at the Stancija Blek site near Tar in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The site, situated on fertile land above the Tar Cove on the left side of the mouth of the Mirna river, was incorporated in Roman times into the ager of Poreč, as discussed by A. Šonje and R. Matijašić (Šonje 1982; Matijašić 1988). The history of the Stancija Blek site and the wider area of Tar were reviewed on several occasions by G. Benčić, based primarily on the study of sources, in which Tar was for the first time mentioned in 983 (a charter by Otto II) (Benčić 2006; Benčić 2012). This year's research of the cremation layers west of the cistern yielded what is probably a bread oven as the cause of, if not all, then at least a part of the burnt layers. A similar oven found at Loron was attributed to the production of pottery within a larger workshop organised within a former villa. The remains of the oven are similar to a number of kilns published in the 2013 volume of the Gallia journal (Gallia 2013, Cuisines et boulangeries en Gaule romaine), dedicated precisely to kitchen installations during Antiquity. The many discovered small pieces of slag point to the possibility of the existence of another oven, although it is also possible that the discovered oven was used for processing metals. The wall investigated within the remains of the cistern belongs to one of the last phases of life in the architectural complex. It is preserved at the foundation level and its orientation follows that of all the earlier walls. Most of the pottery from the fill of the cistern belongs to the remains from Late Antiquity, which allows us to conclude that the cistern lost its function probably at the end of Late Antiquity. It did not suffer any greater damage in the lower part, as demonstrated by the appearance of water at a relative depth of 1.5 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013 we carried out the investigation of tumuli 9 and 5 at the position of Glavičice in Dolina. Tumulus 9 yielded grave 1 with cremated bones mixed with the remains of the pyre, potsherds and a bronze button, dating the grave to Ha B3 phase. A bronze bulb-headed pin was discovered in the fill of the tumulus. Tumulus 5, with 20 m in diameter, belongs to a group of tumuli lying closest to the northern edge of the settlement. Grave 1 was discovered immediately beneath the ploughing layer. It consisted of a rectangular timber structure with posts. The grave was filled with the remains from the pyre, on which was placed the urn with a bowl serving as the lid. On the northern side of the urn was placed a bronze bell helmet (Glockenhelm), dated to Ha B3 phase. The burial rite with grave goods in the form of a bronze defensive weapon - helmet, differs from the usual burials of the younger phase of the Urnfield culture in southern Pannonia. The fill of grave 1 yielded also abundant remains of burned bronze. Grave 2, lying beneath grave 1, yielded the remains of a pyre with cremated bones, next to which was placed a ceramic set of four vessels. The exceptional finds and results of the investigations in Dolina supplement our picture of the burial rites, with the finds from tumulus 5 significantly changing our knowledge of the relative-chronological relationships at the end of the Late Bronze Age and the beginning of the Early Iron Age in central Posavina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trial excavations at the AN 2 Beli Manastir - Popova zemlja site carried out in 2013 preceded the construction works on the future motorway, with a view to establish the distribution of the previously evidenced archaeological site within the mentioned area by means of trial trenches. A total of 1900 m2 were excavated. The excavation showed that this is an exceptionally valuable site that yielded the remains of Neolithic cultures (the Starčevo and Sopot cultures), Bronze Age and the Roman period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2012, the Institute of Archaeology conducted a two-day reconnaissance and mapping of the Novo Selo Bunje site. The mapping covered the visible and accessible architecture. A significant part of the area is inaccessible due to the thick forest that is destroying the site. It was established that the walls were built in two phases and in a planned manner. There is a pool encircled by a wall from antiquity, two cisterns, a tomb, a press, a sarcophagus and an unfinished sarcophagus lid. A preliminary survey of the finds revealed that they can be dated from the Late Hellenistic/Late Republican period to Late Antiquity. The most numerous finds are construction ceramics and amphorae. There were also fragments of tableware, kitchenware and glass. Notable among the finds are a fragment of a fresco, tesserae, ceramic beehives, lamps and a grindstone. Most of the amphorae came from Africa as containers for oil and fish produce and the same boats probably also brought the tableware and kitchenware. Archaeological excavations of this complex site would provide us with more data on the arrival of the Romans to the islands, the organisation of their life and the population they found, the rural aspects of life on the island within the ager Salonitanus, the changes and development of a Roman villa, its possible transformation in Late Antiquity in the secular as well as the religious sense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigations at the Stancija Blek site near Tar continued in 2012 with a new season of archaeological and conservation works, focusing on Room 8, in which a number of walls, reconstructions and burnt layers were investigated in the previous year, as well as the western part of the perimeter wall of the cistern. The removal of the burnt layers allowed us to define the situation with greater clarity. The material from the burnt layers points to late antiquity. Another find worthy of mention is the abundance of metal slag. We have defined the relationship of these layers with the walls above, as well as the relationship of individual walls and the cistern in the southern part of P 8. The works within the cistern allowed us to excavate the upper portion of the wall aligned E-W, and partly N-S. In addition to this, a recent walled structure SU 093 was discovered. The excavations have shed clearer light on the chronological sequence in P 8 as regards the late antiquity and the Middle Ages. However, the transitional phase from antiquity into late antiquity still escapes clear definition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the part of the project: The genesis and development of Bronze Age communities in the northern Croatia, during November 2010 and May 2011, three experimental attempts to reconstruct the presumed function of the archaeological creation dating from the Bronze Age, were carried out. The default function of a small prehistoric pit is the function of a ceramics kiln. The function was tested on three occasions, and the results of the experiments are: the kiln works perfectly, and the basic characteristics of the furnace are low fuel consumption, due to limited space and excellent temperature control during the baking process. Furthermore, the vessels are not in direct contact with the fuel and the damage is minimal. The walls of the furnace are baked up to 2 cm thick. In the space for baking only faint traces of fire can be found, whereas the section of the dome located directly above the furnace is burnt to somewhat greater extent. The original pit was dug into a layer of gravel and sand, and this seems to be an ideal substrate for the construction of furnaces. However, traces of fire are less visible on this background, and for these reasons it is necessary to perform a test on the original site. Within the 2nd International archaeological colloquium Roman Ceramic and Glass Manufactures; Production and Trade in the Adriatic region, Experimental archaeology, held in Crikvenica between 28th and 29th October 2008, experimental baking of vessels on an open fire (experimental bonfire firing) was conducted, and as a result the traces on vessels caused by this method of baking were presented. The traces in the form of oval shells are the result of rapid warming and insufficiently dried vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The site Stancija Blek is strategically located on the left side of the river Mirna, on the fertile land that was, during the Roman period, incorporated in the ager of Poreč and linked to the marine communications, i.e. with the Tar Bay. The Tar Bay is the position at which the road communication Poreč - Novigrad intersects the one that passes through the Mirna river valley and goes toward the central Istria. Archaeological and historical knowledge are primarily brought to us by Gaetano Benčić (Benčić 2006, 324). The first mention of the site Stancija Blek in the medieval sources was the one in the chart of Otto II from 983, which mentions praedium (...) Turrim quae est supra piscatione None (Benčić 2006, 324). Archaeological and architectural study of the site is given in Progetto Torre. Relazione Preliminare della Campagna di Rilievo in 2006 (Benčić 2006; Cuscito, Riavez 2008) and in the works about researches carried out in 2008 and 2010 (Šiljeg 2009; Šiljeg et al: 2011). At the site St Blek there was initially a villa rustica recognized as the earliest form of settlement. It is situated in the densely populated part of the ager of Poreè (Šonje 1982: 100, n. 1; Matijašiæ 1988: 66, 84-5). The first phase of the villa architecture is visible in parts of the walls of the tower being built in opus quadratum technique. Traces of wine and oil production are preserved in the ruins of presses and millstones. Many small ceramics, glass and metal finds on the wider area of the site testify the intensive life lead in a small town or a larger complex villa. The life during the Middle Ages is witnessed by the find of the pre-Romanesque interlace, window pillars in the Romanesque style, as well as the coins, glass and pottery from the 13th and 14th century (Šonje 1982; Benèiæ 2006; Cuscito, Riavez 2008; Šiljeg 2009; 2011). The works carried out in 2011 included further stripping of the layers in the room 8 (Quadrant F/H/I-29/30/31). Late medieval layer of the debris (SU 064) in places thick nearly two meters (max 75.18 m and min 73.31 m) provided the usual material such as more or less cut stone and ceramic building materials: tegulae and tubules (Fig. 1). Removal of the layer of the debris revealed the structures and layers of the walls of the medieval and ancient phase and larger doors with preserved threshold and the lower part of the jamb, the tessellation of flat stone and the layer of burning; ranging from red to black in colour (Fig. 1). The wall consists of two faces (SU 054 and 056) and a fill (SU 055) between which the outer wall of a large cistern, from earlier phases of Roman occupation of this area, is located. After discovering the cistern it became clear why the quite regular opus quadratum is preserved on this part of the construction assembly. The wall thickness of 1 m with two faces built in opus quadratum and bound with opus caementicium managed to resist the weather and abundant alterations. Opus quadratum is clearly visible in the interior of the room 1 (Cuscito, Riavez 2008: Tav. 1). The interior of the cistern is coated with insulating plaster. It can be said that the cistern dates to another period or phase, different from the one that was excavated northeast of the construction assembly. In fact, the cistern discovered earlier (Cuscito, Riavez 2008: Tav. 1) was not build in opus quadratum and the insulating plaster was applied in three layers. Newly discovered cistern is filled with small debris. On the west side, the wall was discovered, which extends in the north-south direction, and continues to the western wall of the room 2. It was at the height of 74.28 m that the threshold of the larger double door was found (SU 070). The threshold is made of one face (side) of the sarcophagus (Fig. 1 and 2). It is interesting to note that in this location, only slightly higher, the window columns were found (Šonje 1968: 437-438; Benčić 2006: 327). In front of the threshold three walls are preserved, most likely dating to the earlier stage. They enclose a smaller room covered with slabs of stone as is the most of the northern higher part of the explored area. A layer of stone slabs (SU 062, 067 and 069) which naturally flake was probably used as a levelling and the insulating layer before the construction of the floor. A similar phenomenon was noticed in the room 5 during the research in 2008 (Fig. 2). Beneath stone slabs cremation layers in various shades of red, gray and black appeared (SU 073, 074, 076, 077, 079, 080) (Fig. 2 and 3). Within them sporadic finds of ceramics, glass and metal (usually nails) appeared. In the southern part of the explored area, below the first layers of the burning, the remains of three walls began to show. They differ from other walls in their structure. Perhaps the reason for this is in the fact that they were perhaps the foundations or the wall from some other phase of life on the site. Since we have only discovered the walls by lowering surrounding layers, we will get a clearer picture of the correlation of this wall with walls of the cistern. In the incineration layers, alongside the Roman finds, medieval Majolica pottery, coarse pottery and glass is present as well. During the excavations carried out this year a fragment of pottery, probably Majolica with multicoloured painted decoration on a glazed surface (maiolica policroma), was found in room 5 and in the collapses layer (SU 064). All layers, except the cistern, can therefore be ascribed to the medieval period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trial excavations of the prehistoric site in Mali Bilač located on the western slopes of Dilj on the eastern part of the Požega basin were carried out during April 2011 (Fig. 1). In 1993, armament (swords in the scabbards, spears, shield bosses), parts of costumes (fibulae) and fragments of bronze and ceramic vessels were found by chance at the local cemetery; these finds probably belong to the dual warrior grave from the earlier phase of the Late La Tène period (LT D1). The small scale trial excavations in 2003 have not resulted in the discovery of any new graves, except for the findings collected from the destroyed grave 1. In April 2011, after the area around the cemetery was destroyed by construction works, the remaining area around the cemetery was fully explored. During the excavations the remains of two incineration graves that confirm the assumption of the existence of Late La Tène cemetery were discovered on the highest, southern part of the ridge. Only the bottom parts of grave pits were preserved. In grave 2 a part of the bronze pin was found, probably a part of a fibula, and in addition a S-shaped bowl and fragments of another vessel, probably kantharoi. The smaller pile of burned bones was deposited south of the bowl (Fig. 5). Only few ceramic fragments were preserved in the grave 3. Trial excavations have confirmed the former knowledge about the chronological picture of the cemetery in Mali Bilač, which, according to the findings from a ruined grave, belongs to LT D1 period, i.e. to the second half of the 2nd and the beginning of 1st century BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical and earlier archaeological works have already been published (Benčić 2006; Cuscito, Riavez 2008). This year we continued the work from 2008 in room 5 (Šiljeg 2009). After cleaning the probe, we continued removing the layers, but for the sake of the vertical stratigraphy, this time we left a control profile in the northeastern part of the room (Fig. 1). The entire surface was covered by a layer of rubble SU 020. Under the 20-cm-thick layer of rubble, there was an extraordinarily dark layer of soot SU 021. In the layers beneath, there were exclusively late antiquity finds (coarse pottery with a wavy line and plastic decoration). Of particular significance is a pot with a plastic band (Fig. 4), which is characteristic of the 5th and 6th centuries in the region (Juroš-Monfardin 1986: T. III: 1; Marušić 1986: 83, Fig. 6: 1; Ruffieux 2010: 251-252, 254, 266, Fig. 6). The room's northern wall ends on a layer of soot and the remains of a wall familiar from earlier excavations (Cuscito, Riavez 2008: Tal. 2. US 023). The remains of wall SU 027 (038), oriented north-south, and passing under SU 009, testify to the affluence of life in classical antiquity. The remains of two floors directly above sterile soil are also associated with this wall. Alongside the northern wall, the remains of a smaller wall SU 042 enclosing a smaller basin were found. The basin was covered by hydraulic mortar opus signinum SU 040 (Fig. 2). In room 5a, the removal of the 14th-century layer, in which there was still glass of the same shapes as in the 2008 excavations (Šiljeg 2009: 114-115), continued. Within the same layer, two small, almost entirely preserved ceramic bowls were unearthed (SF 75 and 79) (Fig. 3), decorated with engobe, over which a green coloured glaze had been coated. Their manufacture is associated with the Italian region of Veneto, and they are particularly widely distributed in northeastern Italy. They can be dated to the 14th and 15th centuries. (Bradara 2006: 19-21, Gusar 2007: 178). From the same layer, there is also a pottery fragment, probably of the majolica type with multicoloured decoration on the outside and a maiolica policroma glaze on the inside (SF 77), also dating from the period of the Late Middle Ages. The excavations inside room 5 have enabled the relationship between the walls found there to be determined. The latest wall is southern wall SU 034, which divided the largest room into two: rooms 2 and 5 (Cuscito, Riavez 2008: Tav. 1). Older than this wall are walls SU 006 and SU 009, which were partly utilised in the structure of wall SU 034. Walls SU 036, 037 and SU 035 are mediaeval. Wall SU 027 (038), the smaller wall SU 042 and the wall below wall SU 034 belong to the classical antiquity stage. The numerous walls and layers discovered and defined in 2010 confirm assumptions concerning the affluence of life on the Stancija Blek site in classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When archaeological supervision was set up to monitor the widening of the road from Neum to Stolac, in 2006, a rescue excavation was carried out on the site of Vidića guvno in Vranjevo Selo near Neum. Research confirmed the presence of a burial tumulus with, most probably, multiple warrior inhumations, which continued to be used as burial ground in the medieval period, when a cemetery was created under monumental medieval tombstones. A subsequent rebuilding of the site into a threshing floor damaged the cultural layers, but the valuable finds of the Iron Age material culture remained preserved. The inventory of the so-called Illyrian warrior grave fits perfectly into the already known cultural image of the Neum region and the broader southern Dalmatian territory in the 5th century BC. It consists of a full set of offensive and defensive weaponry, a jewelry set and an exceptionally rich ceramic symposiastic set. The typological determination of these finds demonstrates strong connections with the Glasinac cultural area and the Central Balkans horizon of princely graves, but, on the other hand, the imports demonstrate also a connection to the classical Greek and Macedonian sphere, thus confirming the presumption that a well-stratified warrior aristocracy existed in this area. Illyrian helmets of the superregional III A2-a type, as well as individual elements of jewelry and attire, demonstrate the special consideration and importance given to local products originating from the production centers on the costal area of the central and southern Adriatic. The association of such finds in individual graves is not only a reflection of the status of the deceased and their economic importance, but also a demonstration of the military and political authority of these local aristocracies which balanced between the complex relations of the regional societies, the ever stronger Macedonian influences and the penetration of the Italic and Greek colonies located on the eastern Adriatic. It was actually through their mediation that the custom of adding rich sets of drinking vessels and military equipment in the graves, generally interpreted as the dominant fashion of that period, was transferred and adapted to the needs of the cultural groups located on the shores of the eastern Adriatic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1-7 September 2007, an archaeological trial excavation was conducted in Ore¡ac at the Luka and Dvorina sites. Ore¡ac is situated in the Suhopolje Municipality in Virovitica-Podravina County. Explorations were conducted by the Institute of Archaeology, with the participation of the Virovitica Town Museum. The exploration was part of a research project of the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports entitled &#201F;Medieval Archaeological Heritage of Croatia (15th-16th Centuries)", headed by Professor &#017D;eljko Tomi&#010D;ik, Ph.D. The research supervisor was Ms. Kristina Jelin&#010D;ik, M.A. from the Institute of Archaeology. Ms. Silvija Salajik from the Virovitica Town Museum also participated. At the Dvorina site, three closed archaeological complexes were examined which can be dated to Late Antiquity, i.e. the fourth century. This was confirmed by the discovery of the coins of Emperor Constantius II (337- 361 AD) in one of the complexes. Several fragments of Late Antique pottery and a Late Antique bracelet made of black glass paste were found. At the Luka site, a Late Bronze Age pit was found. In the pit, there were several fragments of pottery and parts of a movable hearth. The pit was found 13 m south-east of the Late Antique graves dating to the fourth century AD, explored in 1997. The exploration was conducted during very poor weather, which prevented more intense archaeological work. At the end of excavations, after a thorough recording of the finds, the trial trenches were covered, protected and filled with earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contains a more detailed presentation of the finds from the late Hallstatt settlement in Zbelava - Pod Lipom, in the Varaždin district of Podravina. The analysis lays special emphasis on the structures that represent significant elements in the settlement layout, as well as on the chronologically and culturally important metal and selected ceramic finds. They point to a cultural connection of northwestern Croatia with the neighbouring areas, primarily with the important centres of the late Hallstatt culture in Slovenia, but also with the contemporary sites in western Hungary and eastern Croatia. The value of these finds lies in the fact that they represent well-documented settlement finds from late Hallstatt, which still remain a relative rarity in the territory of northern Croatia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Der Standort Novi Perkovci-Krčavina liegt auf sanften Hängen ca. 6 km südöstlich von Đakovo, 110 m ü.d.M. In den Jahren 2005 und 2006 wurden hier große Schutzgrabungen durchgeführt, da dieser Standort an der Trasse der internationalen Autobahn Budapest-Ploče, Korridor V c, liegt. Die baulichen Überreste der neolithischen Kulturen - Starčevo und Sopot - wurden freigelegt. Diese werden hier zusammenfassend bearbeitet. Darüber hinaus wurden auch bauliche Überreste aus der Frühbronzezeit (Litzenkeramik und pannonische inkrustierte Keramik) sowie der Spätbronzezeit (Anfang der Urnenfelderkultur) ausgehoben. Die Starčevo-Kultur hat die üblichen Merkmale; es wurden u.a. ein Idol und Teil eines Opfersteins gefunden. Typisch für die Sopot-Kultur sind zum Teil jene Merkmale, denen wir im naheliegenden Ražište-Typus (Podgorač und Vukojevci) am Übergang der I-B zur II. Stufe begegnen, es finden sich aber auch Spiralbänder mit Einstichen (wie die volle II. Stufe), als auch Dreiecksbänder mit Einstichen (als III. Stufe). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2006, experts from the Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb and the Native Museum in Našice, along with external associates, carried out the first systematic survey of the archaeological sites in the outer western part covered by the Native Museum of Našice, which is related to the cadastral municipalities of Feričanci, Beljevina and Bokšić. Within the period of two weeks, 18 sites were registered, reaching from Prehistory and the Antiquity up to the Middle Ages. 4 finds of stone axes with handle holes were registered (Feričanci-čitluk and Zgone, Beljevina-Gaj and Bokšić-Gajić), dated from the Neolithic until the early Bronze Age. Prehistoric ceramics were found on three sites (Bokšić-Jazvanci and CPS, Bokšić Lug-Grede), Antique ceramics on two (Feričanci-Brkićev arman and Bokšić-Pod sečom), and most frequent were the finds of Medieval ceramics (Feričanci-Maljuge and Grgaševci, Beljevina-Zajčevke and Kod groblja, as well as Bokšić-Brestina, Jazvanci, Staro selo, Pod sečom, Krivača, Završetak Osječke ulice and Gajić). We regard the first phase of the systematic survey as successful, and hod the opinion that it is necessary to continue this type of research in stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groblje mokronoške skupine Zvonimirovo-Veliko polje u srednjoj Podravini izdvaja se kao jedino sustavno istraženo groblje latenske kulture u sjevernoj Hrvatskoj, s vecim brojem iznimno opremljenih ratničkih grobnih cjelina. U njima se, osim naoružanja, nalaze i prilozi toaletnih predmeta, muške nošnje te poputbina sastavljena od keramičkih posuda i životinjskih kostiju. Pripadnost groblja mokronoškoj skupini Tauriska počiva na karakterističnim predmetima ženske nošnje kao što su pojedini oblici fibula, pojasa i privjesaka, a što potvrduje i analiza pojedinih keramičkih oblika kao što su bikonični lonci sa stepeničasto raščlanjenim ramenom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rescue investigations in Medinci were carried out at a peripheral part of a prehistoric settlement situated on a sandy elevation. The settlement infrastructure included the remains of an above-ground structure with a pit, which, based on the pottery fragments, can be dated to the Bronze Age. The remains of a similar above-ground structure in combination with a pit were observed also at the sites of Poljana Križevačka 2 and Pod kotom sever in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia, which are dated to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age. The finds from the 2003 field survey and potsherds from the Late Iron Age and the Middle Ages suggest that the nearby elevation was inhabited in several different periods. Considering that no remains of a fortification of any sort have been discovered, it can be argued that this was a lowland settlement of the open type. The settlement in Medinci fits into the picture of the densely populated area of Slatina, particularly during the Late Bronze Age and the Late Middle Ages, which has been corroborated by the recent research during the construction of the Slatina by-pass. In addition to the previously known settlements in the neighbourhood of Medinci and Nova Bukovica, the newly discovered settlements provide an appropriate sample for the research of the model of habitation in the micro-topographic area of the Podravina region around Slatina during the Late Bronze Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excavations of 2008 are a follow-up of the trial excavation done in 2007. The trial trench was deepened and broadened southward, and a total of 40 m² was excavated. Several layers and burials from Late Antiquity were excavated, although their context is difficult to determine, since a small surface was excavated. In the excavated complexes, a large quantity of various types of Roman pottery was found. The most frequent is coarse pottery, but there is also a large share of terra sigillata. Apart from coarse pottery, ceramics used in building construction (tubuli, tegulae, imbrices) and metal forging vessels were discovered as well. Among the glass artefacts, diverse vessel fragments prevail, and several armband and bead fragments were found too. Only a single bone token was found. Further tokens were uncovered which were made of stone and ceramic, along with whetstones and grindstones. The appearance of dross among the finds needs to be pointed out, as it appears in a much larger quantity in the broadened part of the trial trench than in the 2007. Along with dross, several fragments of fired bricks were found; since the bricks were fired only on one side, they may have been part of a kiln. Large quantities of dross and kiln fragments together suggest the existence of metallurgical activities, which rounds out the understanding of Bolentio thus far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]